Deck 10: The Structure of Local Government

Question 1

Two states that do not have functional county governments are

A)Connecticut and Rhode Island.
B)Virginia and Maryland.
C)Alaska and Louisiana.
D)Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Jurisdictional overlap best describes which of the following situations?

A)The state granting power to local governments to provide general services
B)An urban cluster with a population above 50,000 and several counties surrounding a core
C)When Dillon's rule is applied broadly
D)The existence of multiple local governments in the same territory

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Most cities are incorporated under

A)state constitutions.
B)charters granted by the state.
C)charters granted by the county or counties in which the city is located.
D)charters granted by the federal government.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The pressing issues in city governments these days include all of the following except

A)planning and land use.
B)dark sky lighting ordinances.
C)budget cuts and finances.
D)representation.

Question 5

A county government structure where an elected governing body called a commission, with its chief executive selected by the elected commissioners is

A)the most common county government but its predominance is decreasing.
B)the least common county government but its popularity is increasing.
C)characterized by a strong independently elected central executive official
D)the most common county government and its popularity is increasing over the last ten years.

Question 6

According to one recent study, cities lacking a professional administrator tend to

A)have more conflict and less cooperation in formulating public policy.
B)tend to have a more pro-business orientation than strong mayor forms of government.
C)have more cooperation and less conflict in formulating public policy.
D)fix accountability firmly in the mayor's office.

Question 7

More than three-fourths of American counties have fewer than _____ inhabitants.

A)60,000
B)250,000
C)100,000
D)150,000

Question 8

The trend in local government structure over the last sixty years has been

A)relative stability, with the exception of a significant increase in the number of school districts.
B)a slight decrease in the number of counties and towns, an increase in the number of cities, a significant decrease in the number of school districts, and a large increase in the number of special districts.
C)a significant increase in all types of local governments.
D)a decrease in the number of cities and counties, a decrease in the number of towns and townships, but increases in the number of school districts and all other types of special districts.

Question 9

States created counties to function as

A)a political unit to make decisions about important policy issues.
B)single-purpose governments.
C)their administrative appendages that would manage activities of statewide concern at the local level.
D)their political spokesman to convince local residents of the importance of state government.

Question 10

A metropolitan area refers to

A)a central city of at least 50,000 people and its surrounding county or counties.
B)a central city of at least 275,000 people and its surrounding county or counties.
C)a central city with not more than 275,000 people and its surrounding county or counties.
D)any home rule city.

Question 11

Local governments, including single-purpose districts, gain their power to function and establish their operating structure through

A)home rule.
B)citizen initiative petition.
C)eminent domain.
D)an act of Congress.

Question 12

Which of the following is not an example of a single-purpose local government?

A)School districts
B)Towns
C)Water districts
D)Air and seaport districts

Question 13

Counties have taken on a variety of new functions. Which among the following is not considered a new role, and instead is a more traditional function of counties?

A)Law enforcement
B)Mass transit
C)Natural resource preservation
D)Parks and recreation

Question 14

The governing body for counties is typically called the

A)county senate.
B)county seat.
C)town meeting.
D)county board of commissioners (or county board).

Question 15

The administrator, or the city manager, does which of the following?

A)Oversees service delivery.
B)Develops personnel policies.
C)Prepares budget proposals for the council.
D)All of these choices.

Question 16

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, there are roughly  _________ special districts in the United States.

A)3000
B)37,000
C)13,000
D)17,000

Question 17

In the early days of the United States, communities were idealized as civic republics where citizens

A)seek to build an economically inspired community that is interested in maximizing individual liberty and accumulating wealth.
B)view the community as a corporate enterprise that is driven to minimize costs and maximize fee income.
C)view community government based on the principle of mutual consent, and citizens share fundamental beliefs and participate in public affairs.
D)view community government based on the principle of laissez-faire economics.

Question 18

The difference between a general-purpose and single-purpose local government is

A)general-purpose local governments are prohibited from providing specific services, such as libraries, but single-purpose districts can provide any specific service.
B)general-purpose local governments provide a wide range of functions whereas single-purpose governments perform a specific function.
C)none. There are no substantive differences; these are just two names for the same type of government.
D)single-purpose local governments are prohibited from providing a specific services, such as libraries, but general-purpose districts can provide any specific service.

Question 19

Under the council-administrator plan , counties

A)hire a professional administrator to run the government.
B)have the county sheriff's office run the government.
C)hire a multimember board to run the government.
D)select one of the county commissioners to be the chief operating officer.

Question 20

Counties were initially created by states to function as their administrative appendages, which means that counties were

A)not a primary focus of the state.
B)powerful governmental extensions of the state with a great deal of political authority, power, and autonomy.
C)expected to oversee the cities, towns, and special districts that were within their jurisdictional boundaries.
D)expected to manage activities and deliver services of statewide concern at the local level.

Question 21

The three most common forms of city government structure are: a mayor-council form, a city commission form, or a council-manager form.

Question 22

The council-manager form of city government seeks to emphasize the separation of politics (the policy-making activities of the governing body)from administration (the execution of the policies enacted by the governing body).

Question 23

Land set aside for residential use may be zoned for

A)offices, shopping centers, or hotels.
B)separate light and heavy industrial zones.
C)single-family dwellings, multifamily units, or mobile homes.
D)Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy chain stores and all types of fast-food restaurants.

Question 24

The concept of home rule refers to allowing localities to manage their own affairs as much as possible without the necessity of seeking specific approval to change their governing structure from the state in which they are chartered.

Question 25

At one time, there were more than 100,000 school districts in the United States, but by 2007, that number had decreased to

A)fewer than 14,000.
B)about 50,000.
C)about 40,000.
D)fewer than 10,000.

Question 26

Fundamentally, citizens simply want their local government structures to work and leaders to be effective.

Question 27

American local governments were not planned according to some grand design. Rather, they grew in response to a combination of citizen demand, interest group pressure, and state government acquiescence. As a consequence, no rational or easily understood system of local governments exists.

Question 28

Cities generally offer a wider array of services to their citizens than counties do.

Question 29

Home rule describes a broad grant of power from the state to a local government.

Question 30

The weak mayor-council structure limits the mayor's role to that of executive figurehead, and the council (of which the mayor may be a member)is the source of executive power and legislative power.

Question 31

Annexation, or the process where a city assumes control of neighboring unincorporated land, is regulated by

A)the federal government.
B)state laws and constitutions which vary from state to state.
C)county and municipal charters that outline the rules for annexation under state law.
D)county commissioners.

Question 32

Under the council-manager form of government, the administrator (usually called a city manager)appoints and removes department heads, oversees service delivery, develops personnel policies, and prepares budget proposals for the council.

Question 33

New cities are created every year. For instance, during a six-year period, 145 places incorporated and thirty-three cities disincorporated (or ceased to exist as official locales).

Question 34

An in-depth study of 1,000 city council members across the country revealed that at-large members tend to be wealthier and more highly educated than district members and also direct more attention to business and citywide interests.

Question 35

Over time, most states have gradually relaxed their control over localities through grants of home rule , which give local governments more decision-making power.

Question 36

Most special districts (92 percent of them)provide a single function, but the functions vary.

Question 37

General-purpose local governments perform a wide range of governmental functions and include three types of local governments: counties, municipalities, and towns/townships.

Question 38

The Gallup Poll routinely asks voters about their trust and confidence in local governments. Consistently between 2007 and 2014, these polls conclude that _________ percent of respondents answer either "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust and confidence.

A)less than 40.
B)76.
C)between 68 to 72.
D)55.

Question 39

The number of school districts in the United States has declined from more than 100,000 before World War II to less than 35,000 today.

Question 40

Special districts that overlay existing general-purpose local governments usually address three general categories of deficiencies. Which of the items below are not considered a deficiency?

A)Technical conditions
B)Financial constraints
C)Federal revenue sharing funds
D)Political explanations

Question 41

Describe the concept of overlapping jurisdictions and its consequence of "good" government.

Question 42

The two most popular forms of city government are council-mayor and council-administrator. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each form?

Question 43

Paradoxically, cities with more liberal populations adopt more conservative policies and vice versa.

Question 44

​ Policies enacted by city governments do tend to reflect the preferences of their citizens.

Question 45

Describe the difference between at-large and district (ward)elections. What are the consequences for each in terms of representation?

Question 46

The ultimate authority in a school district is the parents of school age students, more so than the local school board.

Question 47

Despite local school districts being expensive to maintain, they are actually increasing nationwide.

Question 48

Equalization formulas have increased funding for poorer school districts.

Question 49

​ The issue of money for schools stays at the top of legislative agendas, year in and year out.

Question 50

Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas completely failed to consolidate schools when he tried to do so in 2003.

Question 51

Communities almost never try to restructure their governments.

Question 52

Describe and evaluate the general functions of each of the five types of local government. Provide an example of each and contrast the functions across the types of government.

Question 53

The number of single purpose districts continues to grow, whereas the number of school districts steadily shrinks. Explain why special districts are popular and the challenges they present for general purpose governments.

Question 54

On the whole, the American public seems to be reasonably satisfied with their local governments.

Question 55

Although there is no universally accepted set of criteria for evaluating the quality of governments, several researchers and organizations continue to try, but are currently unsuccessful.